Helping Your Kids through a Stressful Move

Moving is stressful enough on adults. Imagine how hard it is on kids, who need stability to feel safe and to learn about their world. Moving can be especially hard on older children and teenagers, who may have long-standing friendships and established routines in their schools and extracurricular activities. You can’t always avoid moving, but you can take measures to make your move easier on your children.

Every move will be different, and what your children need from you will be specific to their interests and relationships. However, here are a few things you should be able to do to help your children through a move, no matter their age or needs:

Tell Them Early

Don’t wait until the last minute to tell your kids that you are moving. They need time to get used to the changes that are coming. They need to time to process their feelings, to learn about their new home and school, and possibly to say goodbye to their friends and teachers. Tell your children that you will be moving as soon as you know it yourself.

Give yourself plenty of time to talk to your children when you break the news, allowing you to listen to their feelings and answer their questions. Give them as many specifics as you can, such as your move date and your new address. If you don’t have those specifics, let them know as much as you do know.

Take Them with You While Shopping for New Homes

One thing that can make moving harder for children is feeling like they have no control over what’s happening. Everything is a mystery to them, and they are just waiting for you to give them the answers – which they know that they may or may not like. You can make it a little easier by taking your children with you when you are looking for new homes.

Try to schedule your home tours on the weekends or in the evenings when the children are home. Let your kids explore the house fully and to share their feedback. They’ll feel much better about the choice you eventually make because they’ll remember seeing the house in person.

Ask for Their Opinion

You can further empower your children in your move by asking them to share their opinions about what you do. For example, when you are touring homes, you can ask what they think about the places you see, as well as what they do or do not like in the neighborhoods. Even before you look, you can ask them what kind of home they want, or what they want in a neighborhood that they move to. You can ask them what they want in their new bedroom, and so on.

You don’t necessarily have to heed all those opinions or give your children everything they want, but asking them at all will help them feel heard. It will also help them feel more excited about moving and what they might get out of a new place.

Encourage and Help Them Maintain Friendships

One of the biggest reasons that children will have a hard time with AZ moving is that they will miss their friends. Making new friends is hard, even for kids, and no one wants to say goodbye to people who are so important to them. You may be able to drive over to your friends’ houses whenever you want, but your children can’t. You can make things easier on your children by helping them to maintain the friendships that are so important to them.

Let your children know that you will continue to schedule and take them to playdates if they are younger, or that you will allow them to visit friends on their own if they are older. Encourage them to stay in touch through calls, email, social media, video chats, and whatever way makes the most sense for them and your new location.

Help Them Enjoy the New Location

Help your kids start establishing new routines in their new home as quickly as you can without pushing the new place on them too strongly. If you know that your kids love skateboarding, show them the new skateboarding park. If your kids love sports, show them where they can go play or take new classes.

Don’t go overboard with selling the new locations. Your kids will resist it if they feel like you are campaigning for the new place. Just introduce them to things you think they’ll like slowly and naturally. You’ll help them warm up to the new place quickly.

Keep Their Belongings Safe

Your kids will sour on the move very quickly if their favorite things are broken or lost during the move. You may not understand why it’s a big deal that their One Direction poster was ripped, but it may really mar the experience for them. Pack their items well, and hire great movers to ensure that everything gets to your new home safely.

Moving may not be easy on any of us, but it can be especially difficult on children. Follow these tips to make it a little easier on your kids – which will ultimately make your move a little easier on you.

Call A to Z Valleywide Movers to make your move a fast and safe one. We’ll make sure that everything that belongs to you and your children will make it to your new home in one piece. We’ll take the stress of packing and moving off of you, and we’ll ensure that you have one less thing to worry about when helping your children transition. Our experienced and professional movers handle moves in Arizona and into and out of the state. Call us today to get a free estimate for your move.